


Happy Accidents

by konataizumi333



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amnesia, Baker!Gabriel, Car Accidents, Destiel - Freeform, Domesticity, F/F, Fluff, Hospitals, Kinda, M/M, Pain Medication, Sabriel - Freeform, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, cop!cas, drugged!Dean, lawyer!Sam, lots of fluff, mechanic!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-10-01 09:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10185920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/konataizumi333/pseuds/konataizumi333
Summary: Dean gets into a car accident and meets his soulmate at the hospital.  The only problem is that he was high on pain medication and can't remember.Soulmate verse where the first words your soulmate says to you are written on your arm.The first chapter is a one shot, the rest are pretty much timestamps, with chapters for other characters as well.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean hating towing cars. He hated the giant ass tow truck that was hard to drive and he hated the annoying ass people he had to deal with.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and Dean was driving the truck to go pick up a car that ran into a tree.  He would much rather still be in the garage working on the Ford that need some major work done on the engine, but Benny, who would normally be working the tow truck, was sick. Tuesday's weren't very busy anyways, so it was just Dean and Bobby working, so Bobby kicked him out, saying he could use the fresh air.

Now, he was making his way to the corner of pines to pick up a car and a stranded man who would no doubt be grumpy about being late, as if it were Dean's fault he's a shitty driver.  Dean hated towing.

He hated it so much, in fact, that while he was pouting, he didn't the eighteen-wheeler barreling toward him across an intersection.  At the last second, he looked over, but it was too late.  He felt the impact, and then nothing.

 

* * *

 

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was a steady beeping sound.  Then the lights that were too bright even with his eyes closed.

He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the light when he heard someone call his name. He looked over to where the voice came from, but everything was blurry.  And something else was off too.  He felt happy. He couldn't remember where he was or much of anything recent.  But he was incredibly happy.  And light. Like he was floating on clouds.

"Dean!" that voice called again.  Wait a minute, he knew that voice.

"Sammy?" he slurred.

"Dean, are you alright?" The worry and relief almost palpable in his voice.

For whatever reason, that was really funny to him.  So funny, in fact, he couldn't stop the giggles that poured from his mouth.  Finally, everything stopped being so blurry and he looked over into his brother's concerned face.  He stopped giggling at the look on Sam's face.  

Dean quickly schooled his features into something more serious and reached toward Sam.  Sam leaned forward, matching Dean's look, waiting for him to say something, feeling that it was very important.  Instead, Dean touched the tip of Sam's nose with his finger and said, "boop," all while maintaining his serious demeanor.  But then he couldn't hold back anymore and he started giggling again, even harder than before.

Sam leaned back with a bitch face, which only caused Dean to laugh harder, and muttered, "Stupid pain meds."

Dean stopped laughing, trying to register what his brother said.  "What pain meds? I don't need pain meds," he said while slurring, then a big smile grew, "I feel great, Samoose!"

"Dean, you were in a very serious car accident, do you know how lucky you are to be alive?" Sam exclaimed.  Dean just stared with a blank look.  "Of course you don't," he murmured into his lap.

But then Dean's attention turned towards the other man in the room that he hadn't noticed.  He had messy black and deep blue eyes. Dean had no idea who he might be and his drug addled brain couldn't think about much more than how hot he was.  

He stood a few feet behind Sam, watching their interaction nervously.  Or maybe uncomfortably.  He was shifting from foot to foot and when he caught Dean's eyes, he quickly looked away.

Dean turned his attention back to Sam who had been talking the entire time, not realizing that Dean hadn't been listening. "-and when mom heard she absolutely flipped.  She said she would come down here right away, but I convinced her to wait until-"

"Hey Sammy, who’s that?" he interrupted, looking back at the man.  Sam looked annoyed at Dean's now obvious inattention, but he smiled when he looked at who Dean was talking about.

"Oh yeah, Dean, this is Cas," Sam replied, looking over his shoulder at the man. At Cas. Cas took this as his queue to step forward to introduce himself.

"I'm the one who saved you," he said in a deep voice with a smile. Dean paused for a minute, wondering why those words sounded so familiar. _I'm the one who saved you, I'm the one who saved you, I'm the one who-_

"Holy shit! My soulmate is fucking hot," were apparently the first words his brain supplied him.  Not that he cared, he was too busy giggling again over the startled look on Cas' face.

"Wait, you're- oh my God! So you're-" Sam stuttered, looking between the two.

"I guess," Cas replied, unable to look away from Dean.  

Just then, the doctor walked in, interrupting the moment.  "I'm sorry, I'm afraid visiting hours are over, but you are welcome to come back tomorrow," he said as he ushered Sam and Cas out of the room.  They tried to protest, but the doctor didn't let them get a word in and they were forced to leave the room.  After one last glance through the door, Sam and Cas walked away dejectedly.

Dean looked back towards the doctor about to say something, but the doctor shushed him.  "Dean, glad to see you are awake, how are you feeling?"

Dean completely forgot about Sam and Cas and answered the doctor's questions.  But obviously, his answers weren't satisfactory judging by the look on the doctor's face.  Dean just finished telling the doctor about how much better his scrubs would look with pie print on them when the doctor gently said, "Alright Dean, if nothing else, at least the pain medication is working.  I'm going to put you back to sleep now and see how you are in the morning, ok?"

"Whatever you say, doc.  You know, you should really consider getting monkey therapy animals in here."

The doctor didn't reply, just smiled and hit a button on the computer next to Dean and Dean noticed a red bar increase in size.  The doctor left the room and then suddenly Dean felt really tired and the world faded into black.

 

* * *

 

When Dean woke up he felt groggy and he groaned as he sat up.  He opened his eyes and flinched at the bright lighting.  He looked around the unfamiliar room and quickly deduced that he was in a hospital.  He didn't remember why he was here and he didn't know how long he had been here.

When he heard a low chuckle coming from the seat next to him, he jumped a little and immediately felt pain shoot through his right leg.  He looked down and saw a cast covering most of his leg.  Well, that would explain it.

"Oh shit, are you alright? Do you need more pain medication?" came a concerned voice from the same place he heard the chuckle.   He looked over and was met with an intense blue stare.  After a few seconds of staring, he moved his eyes to take in the rest of the person.

It was a man. That was his first observation.  His face was scrunched in worry, but he was still very handsome.  He had dark, messy hair and he was wearing black slacks and a light blue dress shirt, as if he had just gotten off work.  He was leaning forward, one hand resting on the bed and an open book lay forgotten on his lap.

"Are you the doctor?" Dean asked unsurely. He didn't look like a doctor, but Dean wasn't sure who else he would be.

The man's face fell, but he quickly hid it with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm, uh, that is," he faltered, "My name is Castiel, but you can call me Cas."

"Okay, Cas, um, not to be rude, but-" Luckily, Sam choose that moment to enter the room carrying two cups of coffee.

He looked startled to see Dean awake as he walked towards Cas. "Dean, hey.  You're awake.  How're feeling?" he asked as he passed one of the coffees to Cas.

"Fine, Sammy," Dean replied distractedly, still wondering about Cas.

“Great,” Sam said, looking relieved.  “Man, you gave us quite a scare for a little while, but it was great to see you’d be alright.”  Then he turned to look at Cas over his shoulder.  “Hey, come on, Cas, take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the empty chair next to him.

“You know what, Sam, I think I’m just going to, uh, wait out here…” he said awkwardly, pointing towards the door.

Sam’s brow furrowed.  “Okay.  Sure, yeah,” he replied sounding confused as Cas made his way out the door with one last look towards Dean before taking off.

“Who was that?” Dean asked, drawing Sam’s attention back to himself, but Sam just looked even more confused.

“Cas?”

“Yeah, who was he?”

“You don’t remember?” Sam asked with raised eyebrows.

“No shit, genius,” Dean said, with a bit more snarkiness than was perhaps required.  To be fair, he had woken up in the hospital with a strange man and no memories of how he got there.

“Oh, well, um,” his brother started.  “Cas is, well, he’s your soulmate."

“My soulmate?” Dean asked skeptically.

“Yeah, your soulmate.”

“Um.  His first words weren’t the ones on my arm,” Dean said, raising his arm to indicate his soul tattoo.

“I guess you don’t remember anything,” Sam muttered, looking down.

“No, so would you mind filling me in?” Dean asked, agitated.

“Well, you were in a car accident.  That’s why you’re here,” Sam explained.  “And Cas was, well, I’ll let him tell that part, but anyways, we were both here when you woke up the first time.  See, you crashed Tuesday and didn’t wake until Thursday night, but you were hopped up on pain medication so you were kinda loopy.  Well, you were really loopy.  And anyways, I introduced Cas and he said the words on your arm and you said the words on his.”

“Shit.”

“What?”

"You’re telling me that I met my _soulmate_ , but I was too _high_ to remember?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Sam said, looking with both pity and amusement.  “You’ve been awake a few more times, still pretty out of it, but you remembered him, so we figured you would remember when you were lucid.  But I guess not.”

Dean closed his eyes and sat there a few minutes thinking.  His soulmate.  His fucking _soulmate_ , and he couldn’t fucking remember."

Dean had never given much thought to his soulmate before.  He didn’t lose himself in romantic fantasies about all the ways they could meet or spend his time day dreaming about what they would be like.  He figured one day, it would just happen, and that would be that.  They would get to know each other, fall in love, and live happily ever after. 

But fuck, he at least wanted to remember meeting them.  He remembered when he was little he was curious about the meaning behind the words.  _I’m the one who saved you._   Saved him from what?  As he grew older he became less concerned because he’d find out someday, right?

“Dean,” came Sam’s voice from his side.  “Are you asleep?”

“No, Sammy,” he replied, still not moving or opening his eyes.  “Just thinking.”

“Ok.  Just wanted to make sure.” Sam was silent for a moment.  “Do you want to meet him?”

“Meet who?” Dean asked, not thinking.

“Cas,” said Sam pointedly.  Oh right.  Soulmate.

Dean opened his eyes and looked over at Sam.  He was unable to stop the grin spreading across his face because, no matter how crappy the circumstances of them meeting, he had met his soulmate.  Kind of.  “Yeah, tell him to come in.”

“Sure,” Sam said and smiled. He stood up and left the room, leaving Dean to his thoughts.  Only now was it hitting him that he was about to meet the man that would probably become the most important person in his life.  He was suddenly growing very anxious.

“Hello.” A deep, gravelly voice broke him from his musings.  He looked up to see Cas standing awkwardly by the door.

“Hey, come in, take a seat,” Dean said, gesturing to the recently vacated chair.  After a second’s hesitation, Cas walked further into the room and sat down. There was an awkward silence between them, neither quite sure what to say.  So Dean started. “So, soulmates, huh?”

Cas chuckled, “Apparently.”  Which was enough to break the tense atmosphere.  They both smiled at each other.

“So, sorry about not remembering, I was kind of…” Dean trailed off.

“Yeah, I remember.  It’s fine though.  It will make for an amusing story, at least,” Cas joked.  Dean was glad he wasn’t upset by it.  Suddenly a thought struck Dean, causing him to still.

“Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?”

“Um, what exactly were my first words?” Dean asked, grimacing when he noticed Cas trying to hold back a grin.  Instead of answering he rolled back his sleeve to show Dean the words written there.

_Holy shit! My soulmate is fucking hot._

Dean groaned when he read the words and brought his hand up to cover his face.  He could feel himself blushing.  Not that the words weren’t true, but not quite as eloquent as he always imagined he’d be. “I’m sorry.  I promise, had I been lucid, I would’ve said something much better.”

Cas laughed as he rolled his sleeve back down.  “If it helps, I was quite flattered. Though it was a bit hard for my parents to explain these words to a child.”

Dean looked up and smiled at him.  It could’ve been worse, he supposes.  “So, uh, my words, _I’m the one who saved you,_ what does that mean?”

Cas blushed suddenly and looked down.  “Well, I’m a cop, and I was on duty at the intersection when you crashed.  I have basic first aid training, so I got you out of the wreckage and tried to stop the bleeding from where some glass had been imbedded in your chest until the paramedics got there,” he explained.  And now that he mentioned it, Dean felt a dull ache in his chest when breathed, and noticed many other cuts and bruises along his body.

“So, I didn’t technically save you, but the paramedics said that if I hadn’t done what I did, you might’ve lost too much blood, so…” he trailed off awkwardly, looking down at his lap.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Cas replied, giving Dean a shy smile, which Dean returned.

“So, Sam said that I’ve been awake a few times, but I don’t really remember.  I hope I didn’t embarrass myself too much,” Dean said, changing topics.

“Well, you did tell Sam that you were going to adopt a moose so that he wouldn’t feel quite so lonely when he came to visit.  You said you would name him Mr. Fizzles after your friend Garth,” Cas said with a smirk.  “You also said that when your car has babies you hope she names one after you.”

Dean grimaced.  It could’ve been worse, and he could use the pains meds as an excuse.  “Well, I mean-”

“You also asked me to marry you.”  Dean froze.  He could feel the blush resurfacing.  But Cas continued before he could feel too embarrassed.  “But don’t worry, I turned you down gently.  I thought we should get to know each other before I accepted your drug-induced proposal,” he said with a smile, showing that it hadn’t made him uncomfortable.

“Well, normally, at this point, I’d invite you out for coffee or something, but I’m not sure when I’ll get out of here,” Dean joked, hoping Cas understood the question in his sentence.

He did.  “Well, it’s Sunday, so you’ve been in here a while.  I’m not sure when you’ll be discharged, but since you're finally off the pain medication, it’ll probably be tomorrow."

“Well good, I’m sick of this hospital already,” Dean replied with a grin.

“Yeah, well, even if you’re discharged tomorrow, I doubt you’d be in any condition to take me anywhere,” Cas teased.

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to come to my apartment.  It’s nothing fancy, but I can whip up a mean pot of coffee,” Dean bragged, really hoping Cas would take him up on his offer.

“I guess so,” Cas said with a smile.  They were both looking forward to getting to know each other, but they were both very sure that they would get along just fine.  Better than fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have no idea how pain medication works at a hospital, so sorry if that was horribly inaccurate.
> 
> I have marked this as complete because this can work as a stand alone, but I might (probably) will add a second chapter that will be Cas' POV. Also I might possibly (also probably) write a sort Sabriel chapter, so you can subscribe for when I post those.
> 
> My [tumblr](https://konataizumi333.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realized while writing this that "I'm the one who saved you" and "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition" are very similar and that was not my intention. I just made up Cas' words for the sake of the story, funny how things work out, right?
> 
> And if you're curious about the ages, Sam is 26, Dean and Cas are 30, and in the next chapter, Gabriel will be 33.

It was a Tuesday, one that started off like any other Tuesday.  Castiel was sitting in his patrol car, watching the intersection for traffic law violators. 

He didn't hate his job as a cop, but it definitely had its slow moments.  In fact, it was mostly slow moments.

He absentmindedly scratched his arm, where his soulmate's words were written and idly pondered his future life partner.

_Holy shit! My soulmate is fucking hot._

Flattered as he was by the words, he was nervous about what his soulmate would be like.  The words sounded like something Gabriel would say, and as much as he loved his brother, he didn't want his soulmate to be anything like him.

His attention turned back to the intersection just in time to see an eighteen-wheeler crash into the passenger's side of a tow truck.  The semi managed to pull to a stop, but not before sliding the tow truck across the intersection.

Everything happened quickly after that.  He turned on his siren and grabbed the police radio to call in the accident and to get an ambulance on the way.  When he finished, he jumped out of the car and ran toward the wreckage.  The eighteen-wheeler had some massive dents in the front and the airbag had been deployed, but the driver came out dazed, but unharmed.

The tow truck, on the other hand, was not doing so well. The right side was crunched up and the windshield and windows were shattered. It would most likely become scrap metal after this.  Castiel ran around to the driver's side to see the damage there.

He could see an unconscious man sitting in the driver's seat with cuts on his face.  He yanked the door open to help him.  Castiel could see blood quickly covering his shirt from where a large piece of glass had impaled him.

Castiel had a brief moment of panic before remembering what to do, but mostly he did it by instinct than by consciously doing anything.

With the way the truck was crunched, he couldn't get to the man in a position to stop the bleeding while he remained in the truck.  He took the man in his arms and laid him on his back on the ground, careful not to disturb the glass in his chest. He leaned his head toward the man's face to make sure he was breathing, but he only felt short, choked out breaths.

Castiel leaned back to figure out what might be obstructing the airway, if it was internal or external.  He could only assume that the glass shard, which was embedded in the center of his chest was the cause.  He would have to remove it, which would be dangerous, but it could get worse if it was left in. 

He looked around for something that would stop the bleeding once the shard was removed.  He had a small audience at this point and noticed a bystander with a flannel shirt tied around his waist.  "Give me your jacket," Castiel commanded without a second thought.

The man looked startled, but he quickly took off the flannel and handed it over.  With the flannel ready, Castiel slowly and carefully removed the shard and immediately covered the wound with the cloth and applied pressure with both hands.

A moment or two after, he heard the telltale sounds of sirens in the distance and knew it wouldn't be much longer now.

Within a minute, an ambulance had pulled up next to the truck and the paramedics were rushing toward them.  They quickly took over and Castiel sat back, keeping out of their way.  

When they started loading the man on the gurney, Castiel realized that he should probably check the car for the man's identification.  He hurried towards the truck and found a wallet on the floor.   _Dean Winchester_ , it read on the driver's license and hurried to give the information to the EMTs before they drove away.

A police car that had come with the ambulance stayed behind and one of the officers talked to Cas and the driver of the semi to get the details of the accident, and in light of everything that had happened, Castiel was given the rest of the day off.

 

* * *

 

It was Wednesday, and Castiel was at the hospital to see the man from yesterday.  Dean.  Or he was _trying_ to see him, at least.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Winchester hasn't woken up yet and only family members are allowed to see him right now," a nurse explained to him. He stood a few feet away from the door while the nurse tried to shoo him away.

He wasn't sure why he wanted to see Dean so badly.  Dean was safe, a little worse for wear perhaps, but he would be fine.  Castiel shouldn't have been worried, and it's not like Dean would remember him.  Hell, Dean wouldn't even be awake if he went in there right now.

But Castiel wanted to see him.  He wasn't looking for gratitude for saving Dean, even though it would have been within his rights.  That morning when was filling out some paperwork, some of the EMTs from yesterday had stopped by to visit some of the other guys at the station.  One of them recognized him and filled him in on what happened after they left and told him that Dean would be just fine, thanks to Castiel's quick actions.  But he didn't care about that right now, he just had an overwhelming urge to see Dean.

Right as he was about to plead his case to the nurse, a tall man with shaggy brown hair stepped out of the room.  The nurse only spared him a glance over her shoulder before telling Castiel that he needed to leave before walking away.  The man who had just left the room looked at him appraisingly.  Castiel just gave a brief smile and turned to walk away.  Before he could take more than a step, a voice stopped him.

"Why do you wanna see Dean?" the man asked with suspicion, but not rudely.

This was his chance.  He could tell the man, who must've been family, his story and maybe he could be persuaded to let Castiel in.  But he realized that was ridiculous and probably quite creepy.  So, he turned and just said, "Don't worry about it, it's nothing.  I hope he feels better." And with that, he began to walk away.

Again he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder before he had even taken a few steps.  He turned towards the man questioningly. 

The man removed his hand and held it out towards Castiel.  "I'm Sam Winchester, Dean's brother."

Castiel hesitated, but eventually he took Sam's hand and shook it. "I'm Castiel Novak."

"How do you know Dean?" Sam asked curiously.

"I don't," Castiel said, but quickly continued at the look Sam gave him.  "I'm the cop who saw the accident happen.  I helped until the paramedics came.  I just wanted to make sure he was alright."

Sam's face lit up with understanding. He absolutely beamed at Castiel and took his hand with both of his larger ones. "You're the guy saved Dean's life, oh my gosh, thank you so much! I don't know what I would've done without him."

Castiel was startled at the enthusiastic response and he carefully extracted his hand from Sam, who looked more like a giant puppy now.  "It was no problem, I would’ve done it for anyone,” he replied awkwardly, uncomfortable with Sam’s gratitude.

“But it wasn’t anyone, it was my brother.  So, thank you,” Sam said much more quietly, his small smile showing his sincerity.

“You’re welcome,” Cas replied just as sincere. 

There was an awkward pause between them for a few moments before Sam broke the serious atmosphere between them.  “You wanted to see Dean, right?” Sam asked and plowed right on without waiting for confirmation. “Well come on, then,” he said waving toward the door, “I know it’s only family right now, but you saved his life, so, I think that earns you a free pass.”  And without further ado, Sam grabbed Cas’ wrist and lead him into the room.

Dean lay there on the hospital bed looking frail.  He had an IV drip tapped to one arm and poorly concealed bandaging under his hospital gown, as well as numerous scraps on his face and arms.  There was a monitor next to the bed showing his heart rate and other vital signs.

He was sleeping, that much was clear, and he looked quite peaceful, despite his injuries.  As Cas drew closer he took a moment to admire the man before him.  He hadn’t had a chance to look too much during the accident, but now he could see that Dean was quite handsome. He had short, dirty blond hair, a face full of freckles, and a strong jaw covered in light stubble.

Castiel realized that he was staring and not alone in the room.  With some difficulty, he turned away from Dean to look at Sam, who was pulling up a second chair to Dean’s bedside.  “Has he been awake yet?”

“No, not yet.  The doctor says he probably won’t wake up today either.  They got him on some pretty strong medication because they want him to rest for a while,” Sam replied and gestured to the chair he brought over and they both took a seat.

“Well, I’m just glad that’s he’s going to be alright.  I’ve seen many people get into accidents and not be as lucky as he is.”

“He’s lucky you were right there when it happened, Castiel.”

“Just Cas is fine,” Castiel replied, not addressing the rest of what Sam says.

There was another awkward silence between them, as neither knew what to say.  “So, you’re a cop?” Sam asked.

“Yes, for a while now, what about you?”

“I’m in law school right now, studying to be a lawyer.  In fact, I graduate in a few months.”

“Do you have any plans after graduation?  Besides the obvious, I mean.  Do you have any firms interested in you or any one in particular you plan on trying for?” Castiel asked, glad for an easy topic.

The rest of the conversation flowed from there.  Castiel found that he liked Sam very much and they became fast friends.  They talked more about Sam’s future career and Castiel’s life as a cop.  Eventually the topic shifted to Dean and Castiel learned that he was a mechanic and worked for a close family friend. 

After about two hours, they decided that Dean wasn’t likely to wake up, so they left and Sam invited Castiel to come back the next day after he had finished work.

He was glad.  Castiel didn’t have too many friends, especially outside of work, but he really enjoyed Sam’s company.  He was also eager to meet Dean when he woke up.  Sam talked about him with both reverence and annoyance which poorly hid the love he felt for his brother.  If Dean was even half the man Sam made him out to be, he sounded like he would be wonderful.

 

* * *

 

It was late, the next day, and Sam and Castiel were talking by Dean’s bed.  At this point in the day, it was unlikely that Dean would wake up and Castiel had decided to call it a night. He had gotten up and started towards the door, saying goodbye to Sam, when there was a slight increase in the pace of the heart monitor.

“Dean?” Sam said.  Castiel turned around.  Dean was shifting slightly in the bed and his eyelids were fluttering gently. “Dean?” Sam called, more insistent. This time Dean opened his eyes slowly and looked at Sam with confusion. “Dean!”

Finally, recognition lit up in Dean’s eyes.  “Sammy?” he asked groggily and slightly slurred.

“Dean, are you alright?” Sam asked. Castiel could hear the relief in his voice, even though Sam knew Dean would be fine.  He couldn’t help but feel a little relieved himself. 

Then Dean started giggling.  Castiel couldn’t Sam’s face, but something about his expression caused Dean to stop.  He leaned forward and reached toward Sam, but whatever Castiel was expecting him to do, didn’t happen.  He touched Sam’s nose and said, “Boop.”  Then he burst into giggles again.

“Stupid pain meds,” Sam said annoyed.

“What pain meds?  I don’t need pain meds.  I feel great, Samoose!” Dean slurred with a big smile on his face.

“Dean, you were in a very serious car accident, do you know how lucky you are to be alive?” Sam practically yelled, exasperation evident in his voice. But Dean just stared.  “Of course you don’t,” he said, much quieter.  Sam continued talking, but Castiel wasn’t really listening.

He was still standing a few feet behind Sam, watching the brothers.  He felt a bit like he was intruding, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself by leaving.  When he looked up he noticed Dean staring at him and he quickly looked away, but not before he caught a flash of green.

Castiel’s attention was brought back to Dean when he heard him ask, “Hey Sammy, who’s that?”

Sam turned his head back over his shoulder and smiled.  He looked back at Dean and said, “Oh yeah, Dean, this is Cas.”

Castiel stepped closer to the bed to introduce himself.  He wasn’t sure exactly what to say, so he smiled and said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m the one who saved you.”

Dean pause for a moment and his brow furrowed in concentration before his expression abruptly changed and he exclaimed, “Holy shit! My soulmate is fucking hot.”  He looked at Castiel face and started giggling again.  Castiel had no doubt that the startled look, which he was sure was on his face, was funny enough to cause someone under the influence of drugs to burst out laughing.  Or giggling, as Dean was doing.

“Wait, you’re- oh my God! So you’re-” he heard Sam stutter.  He could guess what Sam was trying to say.

“I guess,” was all he managed because he couldn’t look away from Dean.  From his soulmate.  Dean was his soulmate.  It was quite unexpected to say the least, but then again, most soulmate meetings are.  But still, _his soulmate_.

But before Cas could say or do anything else, a doctor walked in, oblivious to what had just happened.  “I’m sorry, I’m afraid visiting hours are over, but you are welcome to come back tomorrow,” he said, and began ushering Castiel and Sam out the door.  They tried to protest, or at least Sam did, Castiel was too distracted, but the doctor wouldn’t hear it.  The door closed in front of them with a quiet thud.  With no more reason to fight, they started walking down the hallway silently. 

They were waiting for the elevator when it hit Cas. He just met his soulmate.  His soulmate, who was under a lot of pain medication.  His soulmate, who probably wouldn’t remember him tomorrow.

“Are you alright?” Sam asked, seeing the dejected slump in Castiel’s shoulders.

“Yes, Sam. I’m fine,” he replied tiredly, still mulling over his revelation.

“Are you… Are you disappointed that Dean is your soulmate?” Sam asked cautiously, and perhaps with a small amount of anger at the thought that anybody wouldn’t want Dean. The elevator door opened.

“No, of course not,” Castiel assured him hurriedly as the stepped into the empty elevator. “It’s just, he was pretty out of it.”

“Yeah, he was,” Sam said with a small chuckle, wondering what the problem was.  Maybe because they were kicked out of the room before he and Dean could talk.  Not that much would happen with the state Dean was in.

“Sam, he probably won’t remember me tomorrow, he probably won’t remember anything.” Oh.  _Oh._

“Well, it doesn’t make him any less your soulmate even if he doesn’t remember,” Sam tried to comfort.

“I know.  But it’s still an important moment.  Even if he _was_ only half lucid.”  The elevator doors opened and both men stepped out and walked towards the entrance.

As Castiel started to walk to his own car, Sam called out to him. “Don’t lose hope yet, Cas.  Come tomorrow, and we’ll see.  You never know, he might remember.”

Castiel turned towards him and smiled. “Thanks, Sam.”  Then he turned and walked back to his car.

 

* * *

 

The next day Castiel walked into to Dean’s room to find him awake and talking to Sam.  Dean turned to look at him as soon as he opened the door. 

 _Moment of truth,_ Cas thought _, Does he remember?_ “Who are you?” he asked curiously.  _Nope._

Castiel felt his heart fall a little, but he smiled.  He was prepared for this.  “You can call me Cas.”

“Cas?” Dean said to himself, thinking. “Cas, Cas, Cas- Wait!” he cried with a smile, looking up at Castiel.  “You’re my soulmate, aren’t you?”

Castiel’s face lit up and his heart swelled. “Yeah, Dean. I am.”

“Come sit.  I was just telling Samster here how I want to adopt a moose so he doesn’t feel lonely.  I’m trying to decide on a name,” he told Cas, slurring his words a bit.  By the look on Sam’s face Castiel could tell he was tired of the conversation already.  Dean let loose a few giggles.  Castiel realized that Dean was still high on medication.  Not exactly how he wanted his first conversation with his soulmate to go, but at least Dean remembered him.

Dean remembered again on Saturday too, though he was still drugged, so Castiel had stopped worrying that Dean would forget. 

He didn’t spend too long with Dean each day because he got off work late and visiting hours ended early.  But he enjoyed the time he spent with Dean.  Obviously, he didn’t get to really know Dean, he wasn’t in his right mind, but drugged Dean proved to be very entertaining.  And he looked forward to meeting Dean when he wasn’t on medication.

 

* * *

 

 At least, he looked forward to meeting Dean until Sunday.

Because Dean’s internal injuries had been pretty bad, the doctors wanted him resting as much as possible.  So, Dean slept a lot during the day and was usually only awake when he and Sam came to visit in the evenings.

Today was Sunday, however, and Castiel had the day off. And aside from one class in the morning, so did Sam.  So, they were hanging out together in the hospital room in the afternoon, waiting for Dean to wake up.  Sam had left a little while ago to get coffee from the shop across the street and Cas was reading the book he had brought when Dean started to stir.

He groaned as he sat up and slowly opened his eyes.  He looked around the room in confusion and Castiel couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped. Dean had been like that yesterday when he woke up, slightly confused until he remembered.  Cas thought it was kind of adorable.

But then Dean flinched when he heard the sound and then winced and looked at his leg which was covered in a large cast.  The doctors had decided to ease up on the pain medication, as most of the internal stuff shouldn’t hurt that much anymore.

But that didn’t stop Castiel from being concerned when he realized Dean was in pain.  “Oh shit, are you alright? Do you need more pain medication?” he asked.

Dean looked over at Cas, and after holding eye contact for a few seconds he moved his gaze to take in the rest of Cas.  As the seconds passed and Dean didn’t seem to recognize him, Cas felt a small jolt in his stomach.

“Are you the doctor?” Dean finally asked.

Castiel felt a much larger jolt in his stomach at the question, but worked to hide it with a smile.  He stood up, prepared to make a quick exit, unsure about how to go about this.  “I’m, uh, that is,” he started. _Your soulmate?_ No, Dean was definitely not high anymore and Castiel wasn’t sure how he would take the news in his condition. “My name is Castiel, but you can call me Cas,” he finished lamely.

Dean took a second to process. “Okay, Cas, um, not to be rude, but-” Dean didn’t get to finish his thought because Sam walked into the room just then, carrying two cups of coffee.

“Dean, hey.  You’re awake.  How’re feeling?” he asked, unaware of what happened while he passed a cup to Cas.

“Fine, Sammy,” he replied, sounding distracted.

“Great,” Sam said while sitting down. “Man, you gave us quite a scare for a little while, but it was great to see you’d be alright.” He then turned to Cas, smiling. “Hey, come on, Cas, take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair beside him.

Cas wasn’t sure what to do, so he ran. “You know what, Sam, I think I’m just going to, uh, wait out here…” he said unsteadily, pointing towards the door.

Sam looked confused. “Okay.  Sure, yeah,” he said unsurely.

Castiel left the room and walked down the hallway to the waiting room on that floor.  He sat down in one of the chairs and realized he left his book in the room.  Not that he would’ve been able to read it, but at least it would _look_ like he was doing something.  Not awkwardly sitting in the waiting room, holding a cup of coffee he didn’t feel like drinking anymore and processing the last few minutes.

Dean didn’t remember.  Didn’t remember him, didn’t remember that they were soulmates.

But that was okay, he told himself.  He was prepared for this.  Granted, after Dean remembered the first time he didn’t think it would be a problem anymore, but still.  It was fine.  Like what Sam said when Dean first woke up.  Just because he doesn’t remember doesn’t mean he’s not Castiel’s soulmate. 

He did feel a little bad about suddenly leaving like that and leaving Sam to explain the situation.  Dean was _his_ soulmate, and he should’ve been the one to tell him, but he had been to overwhelmed by what happened and he just had to leave.

He sat there a few minutes longer thinking about it before Sam came and sat next to him.  “He wants to see you,” he said quietly, probably guessing his friend’s train of thought.

“How is he?” Castiel asks, ignoring Sam’s statement.

“He’s fine, Cas.  Go see him,” Sam said exasperatedly.

Castiel looked over at Sam to see him looking fond and slightly annoyed.  He took a deep breath. “Okay."

He walked back down the hall towards Dean’s room. He opened the door quietly and walked in. Dean was looking at his lap.  Unsure what to say, he went with a simple greeting.  “Hello.”

Dean looked up at him.  “Hey, come in, take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair.  Castiel couldn’t read his expression, but he assumed it wasn’t a bad one, so, he walked forward and sat in the chair.  There was an awkward silence between them until Dean broke it.  “So, soulmates, huh?”

Cas couldn’t help but chuckle at Dean’s bluntness. “Apparently,” he said, and they both smiled at each other.

“So, sorry about not remembering, I was kind of…” Dean trailed off, looking down.

“Yeah, I remember.  It’s fine though.  It will make for an amusing story, at least,” he joked.  It was true, it was fine.  And it _would_ make a funny story to tell people.

Castiel was concerned when Dean suddenly froze. “Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?”

“Um, what exactly were my first words?” Dean asked.  Castiel let out a sigh of relief, then he was trying to hold back a smile.  He remembered how worried he was about the words, that it would be someone like Gabriel.  He was at home when he realized that the words did not correlate with his soulmate’s personality, just his soulmate when he was high and he had laughed out loud.

He was glad, but he knew Dean would hate the words, which made him smile more. Instead of answering, he simply rolled back his sleeve and let Dean see for himself.

_Holy shit! My soulmate is fucking hot._

He almost laughed when Dean groaned after reading the words.  Dean buried his face in his hands and Cas noticed a blush creeping across his face. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I promise, had I been lucid, I would’ve said something much better.”

Castiel did laugh this time and rolled his sleeve back down.  “If it helps, I was quite flattered.  Though it was a bit hard for my parents to explain these words to a child,” he said.  He smiled at the memories of a confused little boy whose parents tried to explain to him to not tell his words to anyone else and who tried to cover up the words when he went to school.  He remembered his brother Gabriel telling him what it meant when he was eight and Gabe was eleven.

Dean removed his hands from his face and smile at Cas.  “So, uh, my words, _I’m the one who saved you_ , what does that mean?”

It was Castiel’s turn to blush at his words.  He looked down and explained.  “Well, I’m a cop, and I was on duty at the intersection when you crashed.  I have basic first aid training, so I got you out of the wreckage and tried to stop the bleeding from where some glass had been imbedded in your chest until the paramedics got there.” He paused before continuing.  “So, I didn’t technically save you, but the paramedics said that if I hadn’t done what I did, you might’ve lost too much blood, so…”

He looked down at his lap remembering the accident.  His head popped up when he heard Dean say, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied, giving Dean a smile, and he couldn’t help but remember his first conversation with Sam where he had said the same thing.

“So, Sam said that I’ve been awake a few times, but I don’t really remember.  I hope I didn’t embarrass myself too much,” Dean joked.

He probably wasn’t expecting an answer, or he was expecting Cas to say something like, “not at all.”  But Dean had embarrassed himself while on pain medication.  And Cas wanted to see him blush again.  So instead, Cas said, “Well, you did tell Sam that you were going to adopt a moose so that he wouldn’t feel quite so lonely when he came to visit.  You said you would name him Mr. Fizzles after your friend Garth.  You also said that when your car has babies you hope she names one after you.”

Cas smirked as Dean grimaced. “Well, I mean-”

“You also asked me to marry you.”  Cas delighted in the blush that was staining Dean’s cheeks now.  That particular question had come as a slight shock yesterday, but Castiel knew he didn’t mean it.  Even so, Dean didn’t take Cas’ rejection very well, though Cas had tried to be polite about it.  Sam just sat there laughing, not even trying to help.

Seeing the distressed look on Dean’s face, Castiel decided not to let him suffer too long.  “But don’t worry, I turned you down gently.  I thought we should get to know each other before I accepted your drug-induced proposal,” he said while smiling.

Dean looked relieved at that.  “Well, normally, at this point, I’d invite you out for coffee or something, but I’m not sure when I’ll get out of here,” he joked. 

Castiel could hear the unasked question though.  “Well, It’s Sunday, so you’ve been in here a while.  I’m not sure when you’ll be discharged, but since you’re finally off the pain medication, it’ll probably be tomorrow.”

“Well good, I’m sick of this hospital already,” Dean replied with a grin.

“Yeah, well, even if you’re discharged tomorrow, I doubt you’d be in any condition to take me anywhere,” Castiel teased, but secretly, he really wanted to go out for coffee with Dean.

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to come to my apartment.  It’s nothing fancy, but I can whip up a mean pot of coffee,” he bragged.

“I guess so,” Castiel replied with a smile, delighted at Dean’s offer and with every intention of taking him up on it.  Castiel decided it didn’t matter if Dean didn’t remember them meeting.  He could tell that he would fall in love with Dean already, and he couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter, comments and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Disclaimer: I realize that in the accident scene, Cas broke two of the biggest first aid rules of not moving the body and not removing impaled object, but I tried to give credible reasons for him to do that. So sorry if that bothered you. Honestly, it kinda bothered me.
> 
> So one more chapter after this. It will be a short Sabriel chapter and will be posted either tonight or sometime this week, I haven't decided yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam was walking through the grocery store and turned onto the cereal isle when he spotted Cas. It had been three months since they met in the hospital and they had since become close friends.

"Hey, Cas," Sam called out, walking toward the man.

Castiel looked up and smiled when he saw that it was Sam. "Hello, Sam. How are you?"

"Good, how's the moving going?"

"Slow, but I finally finished packing last night. I can't wait for this to be over," he said with a sigh.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, Dean too. And he would never tell anyone, but I can tell he's really excited about you guys moving in together."

"I am too. And it will be good for him to finally leave that dingy apartment of his. I know I can't wait to leave my roommate behind."

"He's really that bad, huh?" Sam said with a laugh, knowing all about Castiel's eccentric brother.

"You have no idea," Cas said, as if Sam could truly never comprehend what he had gone through. "He's my brother and I love him, but he's-"

"Hey Cassie!" a loud voice interrupted.

"Speak of the devil," Cas muttered to Sam before turning around. There was a short man walking towards them with medium-length, light brown hair and a huge smile. He also held five big bags of assorted candy in his arms.

"Cassie, look, there was a five for one special," he said smugly, but with excitement.

"That's wonderful, Gabe," Castiel said with only slight condescension. "Sam, this is my brother, Gabriel. Gabriel, this is Dean's brother, Sam," he introduced.

Sam was still looking at all the candy in Gabriel's arms and wondering what the hell he was planning on doing with it all when it was nowhere near Halloween. "That's a lot of candy," he couldn't keep himself from saying.

He and Castiel were both startled when Gabriel suddenly dropped the candy and stared at Sam with a slack jaw. "Oh my God! Your perfect!" Gabriel exclaimed and excitedly, like a kid finding out he got exactly what he wanted for his birthday.

Sam's face dawned with realization. Castiel was confused, until he replayed Sam's words in his head and recognized them. He took a breath and turned to Sam. "Yes, I see," he said and Sam turned towards Castiel dazedly. "Sam, my condolences," he said solemnly, and then turned to Gabriel. "Gabriel, I will be on the bread aisle, come find me if you still need a ride home." And with that, he picked up the candy Gabriel had dropped, placed the bags in the cart, then pushed the cart down the aisle, disappearing around the corner.

"Sooo..." Gabriel drawled, bringing Sam's attention back to him.

Sam wasn't quite sure how to act or what to say, so he stuck his hand out towards Gabriel. "Sam," he said, even though they had been introduced already.

Gabriel smirked, but shook his hand. "Gabe."

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about you," Sam said, thinking back to all the stories Castiel had told about his chaotic brother and roommate. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about having that as a soulmate, but at least life would be interesting.

"All good things, I hope," Gabriel said with a wink.

Sam finally cracked a smile. "Not really."

The confident smirk on Gabriel's face wavered for a second before it was back. "Well, I'll just have to change that, huh?"

"I don't think you can change the stories I've heard," Sam teased, finally relaxing a bit.

Gabriel stuttered and blushed. "I meant we need to change you're opinion of me," he said embarrassed and slightly annoyed.

"Smooth," Sam said, but he couldn't help smiling.

"Shut up," Gabriel said, but despite his tone, he's smiling too.

And there they stand, smiling at each other like idiots, in the cereal aisle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my story, comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> I feel like the ending is kind of crappy, but I couldn't figure out how to end it. I'll change it if inspiration strikes.
> 
> This is probably it for this story, I don't have anything else planned, but I might add some time stamps or the story of some other characters meeting there soulmate. But I'm working on something else right, so it would be a while.


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriel felt groggy when he woke up. It was still dark and too early. He reached over then sighed when he realized the other side of the bed was cold and empty. He looked to the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw that it was 1:30 am. Definitely too early.

He was reluctant to leave the warmth of the bed, but with a grunt he hauled himself to his feet.

His feet padded lightly as he walked down the hallway, which was illuminated with light coming from the living room. He stopped in the doorway and saw exactly what he was expecting to see.

Sam, sitting on the couch, still wearing a suit from work but without the jacket, hunched over a pile of papers, and a hand running through his hair in irritation. In his other hand he held a pencil, occasionally writing something down on a legal pad to then angrily cross it out a minute later.

"Sam."

"Huh?" Sam muttered, startled as he turned around to look a Gabriel. He looked confused with glassy eyes for a moment before recognizing him. "Oh, Gabe. Sorry, I'll just be a few more minutes," he said distractedly before looking back towards the papers.

"Sam, that's what you said four hours ago. Come to bed. Whatever you're doing can wait until tomorrow," Gabriel said, not willing to take no for an answer.

"No, Gabe, I just have to find this one thing and then-"

"This is the Jameson case, right?" Gabriel asked, coming forward to look at the papers splayed across the coffee table along with crumpled pieces of paper from the legal pad.

"Yeah."

"Well, you're not meeting them until Friday, right?"

"Yeah."

"Which means you have all of tomorrow to work. Now come to bed," Gabriel demanded.

"But Gabe-"

"No buts!" Gabriel reached down to grab Sam's arm and pull him from the couch and towards the bedroom.

Aside from a surprised squeak, Sam let Gabriel lead him away from work. Not that he could've fought much anyway, he was exhausted from working this case the last few nights. No one said being a lawyer was easy.

He had pretty much given up for the night, but Sam was stubborn and couldn't help trying to resist one last time as Gabriel pulled him into the bedroom. "But-"

"No. Buts," Gabriel repeated sternly. Then he grinned lewdly and said with a wink, "Unless it's the sexy kind."

"Gabe," Sam sighed. "I'm not really in the mood for-"

"Samsquatch," Gabriel interrupted. "As much as I would love to have you ravish me tonight, you need to go the fuck to sleep."

Sam chuckled at Gabriel's words, but even if they were said in a joking tone, they were true. Sam needed to sleep. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going to sleep," he said as he started taking off his clothes 'till just his boxers were left.

"Alright, come on," Gabriel said, tugging on Sam's hand until they were both in bed together.

Gabriel made sure to turn the alarm off without Sam noticing, then wrapped his arms around the larger man's middle and snuggled close under the covers. "Goodnight, Sam. I love you."

"Love you, too. Goodnight," Sam replied sleepily, causing Gabriel to smile. He lay there, waiting until all the tension left Sam's body and his breathing evened out before falling asleep himself.

 

* * *

 

In the morning-afternoon, he realized after a look at the clock-Sam awoke to the smell and sound of bacon sizzling over the stove.

He didn't want to get up. He was tired despite how long he slept. But it was nice to have someone cooking breakfast when he woke up.

He and Gabriel had been dating for almost 14 months and living together close to a year and he still smiled every time he thought about it. After their fateful encounter at the grocery store, they went out for lunch to get to know each other. Gabriel had been... intense at first-still was, really-but it hadn't taken long for him to grow on Sam.

Finally lured out of bed after his stomach rumbled, he walked into the kitchen where Gabriel was at the stove making breakfast. Sam crept up behind him and wrapped his arms around Gabriel's waist, resting his chin on the other man's head.

"Don't you have to work this morning?" Sam asked, watching the bacon crisp.

"I'm the boss, I make my own hours," Gabriel said loftily. "Besides, you needed me more today than the bakery."

"Thank you," Sam said softly, placing a gentle kiss on his head.

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the mush. Go set the table," Gabriel said, waving Sam off. Sam smiled though, because he could tell Gabriel was trying to hide his blush.

He did as he was told and put out plates and silverware, as well as filling two cups with orange juice while Gabriel finished the food and then served it. They sat down and were quiet for a few moments, with only the sound of their eating to fill the silence.

"This is really good," Sam said around a mouth full of eggs.

"I know," Gabriel replied, making Sam smile. He grabbed the pan with the eggs and spooned another serving onto Sam's plate. "Come on, you need to eat more."

"Gabriel, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me so much."

"What did you eat yesterday?" Gabriel asked accusingly.

"I..." he faltered, thinking back. He remembered having at least a granola bar in the morning.

"Exactly, now eat up," Gabriel said triumphantly, digging back in to his own breakfast.

"It's not a big deal, it's just this case-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sam. There is no excuse for starving yourself."

"This case is really difficult, the wife-"

"What's the rule, Sammy?"

"No bringing work to the dinner table," Sam said petulantly, shoulders slumped.

"Precisely. After you have finished a nice, hearty breakfast, you will go for a nice, long walk because you need the fresh air. Then you will shower because you're starting to smell-"

"I am not!"

"-and then you can get back to work," Gabriel finished, ignoring Sam's interruption.

"Fine," Sam said, knowing that doing those things was probably for the best, but not giving Gabriel the satisfaction of agreeing with him.

Gabriel was probably the best thing that could've happened to him. He knew that if it weren't for Gabriel he would've stayed up all night working, then eaten another granola bar for the day and kept on going like that until he fainted.

So, he was a bit of a workaholic. What's wrong with that? Gabriel could get that way too when working out a new recipe or before holidays. But Sam helped him during those times too. As long as the were there for each other, that's all that mattered, right?

"I love you," Sam said.

"I know," Gabriel said cheekily, preening a little under the attention. He was always happy to hear Sam loved him. Sam rolled his eyes, but chuckled. And just like that the serious mood evaporated and they were back to their normal banter and Gabriel trying to convince him to get a parrot for the apartment.

Sam was quite happy, and would be happy if things stayed like this forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, just a timestamp for Dean and Cas and then a short chapter for Charlie and Gilda and I think I'll be done with this verse.


	5. Chapter 5

People scrambled out of the way as Charlie, a blur of red and white, zoomed through the hall on out-of-control roller skates.  
  
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," she cried, repeating the litany of curses as she tried to stop herself. The floor had a slight decline and the breaks on her skates had broken. She supposed they broke because they were old, but she was going for authenticity with her costume.  
  
"Hey! Watch out!" she yelled, but the woman in front of her didn't turn fast enough and suddenly she wasn’t moving anymore. She crashed into the woman and they both fell to the floor with Charlie on top. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I just lost control. My skates are broken and the floor is slanted and—oh my God, I'm still on top of you, shit."  
  
She climbed off the woman, still apologizing profusely. It was Comic Con, and she was dressed as the Dazzler, with a skin tight, white outfit that flared out around her skates, which were the old fashion kind. She had a heavy disco ball necklace and bracelets and bangles on her arms and blue face paint around her eyes to complete they look. She was incredibly pleased with how it turned out, but she was starting to regret the skates.  
  
"Hey, hey, I'm fine. I'm not injured," she said gently with a smile. She had warm, brown eyes and a pointed nose on creamy, tawny-brown skin.  
  
"Oh, thank God!" Charlie exclaimed with a loud exhale. "I really didn't mean to crash into you—oh my God!" Charlie gasped and brought a hand to her mouth as her eyes light up with recognition and excitement at the woman's words. The look was mirrored on the woman’s face, confirming what Charlie had figured out.  
  
"Charlie!" came a deep, masculine voice from over her shoulder. Charlie looked back and saw Dean slightly out of breath and pushing past people to get to her. "Charlie, are you okay?" he asked, bending down to where she was still sprawled on the floor.  
  
"I'm fine, Dean," Charlie assured, a little breathless.  
  
"That's what you get for coming as the Dazzler," Dean said, going from worried to stern as soon as he made sure she was alright.  
  
Charlie let out an exasperated sigh. "Dean, like I have told you before, the Dazzler is a very important character to the queer community—"  
  
"I know, I know. But you still could’ve been the Dazzler without the roller skates."  
  
"Well, if I hadn't worn roller skates, I wouldn't have met my soulmate," she said smugly.  
  
"Your soulmate?" Dean questioned.  
  
"Oh my God! That's right!" she exclaimed, turning back towards Gilda who had been watching the exchange with an amused smile. Charlie stuck her hand out excitedly, "Hi, I'm Charlie."  
  
"Gilda," said the woman in a sweet tone, taking Charlie's hand much more calmly.  
  
"I'm so happy to meet you," Charlie gushed.  
  
"Me too," Gilda said with a chuckle as she started to stand up. Charlie tried to stand up as well, but her foot flew out from under her as soon as she put her foot down, causing her to land painfully on her butt.  
  
She looked pleadingly up at Dean, "A little help?"  
  
Dean rolled his eyes but moved to stand behind her. He put his arms under her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. But before he could retract his arms, she slipped on the skates again and he just barely caught her.  
  
"How about you take the skates off?" he suggested.  
  
"Good idea," Charlie agreed and he lowered her back to the ground. She made quick work of her skates before standing back up on solid footing.  
  
"So, Cas is waiting for me in the food court. You’re welcome to join us, but you guys probably want to be alone. Just text me every once in a while and let me know if you need a ride home," Dean said. Leaning close to Charlie's ear, so only she could hear, "Go get 'em, tiger."  
  
"You know it," she responded and he walked away with a wink. She turned back to Gilda. "So that was Dean, he's like my surrogate older brother."  
  
"He's seems nice," Gilda said sincerely.  
  
"Yeah, he's pretty awesome. He even LARPs with me."  
  
"You LARP?" Gilda asked, getting excited.  
  
"Every weekend. I'm the queen of Moondoor,” Charlie bragged.  
  
“You LARP with the Moondoor group? I’ve been wanting to join, but I’m kind of shy and can never work up the courage,” Gilda admits sheepishly.  
  
“Well, how would you like to be the personal consort to the queen?” Charlie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. She held out her arm to Gilda, as if offering to escort someone.  
  
“I would be honored,” Gilda replied with mock formality, slipping her hand under Charlie’s elbow and locking their arms. She gestured forward, “Lead on, Your Majesty.”  
  
Charlie smiled and led them through the con, stopping at any booth that caught their interest. Gilda was perfect. She was a total nerd, she was nice, she wanted to LARP, and she was gorgeous as a bonus. Yes, Charlie would be very happy with Gilda and was pretty sure Gilda returned the sentiment.

 

* * *

  
  
  
“Where’s Charlie? Is she alright?” Castiel asked, concerned. He sent Dean after her when they noticed her start to roll away and said he would wait for them in the food court, but now he was worried something had happened to her and that’s why she wasn’t here. Though he supposed had she been seriously injured, Dean would have stayed with her and just called him.  
  
“She’s fine, she just met her soulmate,” Dean replied nonchalantly, slipping into the seat next to Cas and picking up one of the burgers on the table.  
  
“Her soulmate?” Castiel asked, happy at the good news.  
  
“Yeah,” Dean said, letting out a small chuckle.  
  
“Well what happened?” Cas demanded with a smile.  
  
Dean smiled, “Crashed into her. Knocked her down, but neither of them were injured.”  
  
“Quite the meeting,” Castiel said, chuckling as he imagined it. “You know, she always said she’d meet her soulmate at a Comic Con.”  
  
Dean laughed and started eating his burger. “I’m happy for her,” he said quietly, leaning into Castiel’s side.  
  
“Me too,” Castiel said, starting in on his own burger.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, just one more timestamp to go!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I lied. there will be two timestamps (including this one). I just had one planned, but then I was inspired while watching the beginning of season 7 when Dean has a cast on his leg. This is three weeks after the initial meeting.

“Dean! Get off your leg!”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Cas, it’s fine. I’m just getting a drink.”

“Dean, the doctor told you not to walk on your leg. You could–”

“I could make it worse, I know.”

Cas huffed. “Yes. And heaven forbid you fall and break an arm,” Cas scolded.

Dean groaned and rolled his eyes.  “It’s like, ten feet from the couch, I mean, _come on_.”

“Then at least use your crutches!” Cas hissed, walking to the couch and picking up said crutches before handing them to Dean. Dean sighed, but took them anyway, aligning them under his arms and putting his weight on them.

“Can I get my soda now?” Dean asked huffily.

Cas rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dean, you may get your soda now,” he answered tiredly. Dean huffed again, but opened the door to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda and made his way to the couch, being deliberately slow to get on Cas’ nerves.  He shot a smirk over his shoulder when he was comfortably seated which was met with a glare from Cas. Nonetheless, Cas walked over and sat beside Dean, almost close enough to touch, to continue watching the movie they had decided on.  

Cas had needed to use the restroom and Dean thought he would have enough time to sneak to the fridge and back, even though he knew he would get a scolding when Cas noticed the drink that hadn’t been there before. Evidently, he hadn’t been quite fast enough.

It had been three weeks since the accident. Three weeks of having a stupid cast on and not being able to do anything more than hobble around on his gimpy leg when no one was watching and being forced to use those goddamned crutches when someone was. He was stuck in his apartment. He couldn’t drive his own car, he could barely walk to the convenience store two blocks away. He was lucky Bobby was his boss and he had paid leave because there was no way he would be able to effectively fix cars while hobbling around the shop.

He was getting a bit stir crazy, but he couldn’t go anywhere because even if someone else drove him there wasn’t much he could do and enjoy while dealing with his cast. 

And he hardly ever had any alone time anymore. The one thing he hated even more than the restrictions of his leg was how everyone around him tried to mother him and take care of him and not let him do a goddamned thing on his own. That was just how his family was. He supposed it was better than a family where everyone just ignored him and nobody ever took care of him, but sometimes he wondered.

“Hey, Cas. I’m hungry. Make me something to eat?” he asked, grinning cheekily. 

Cas rolled his eyes, but got up nevertheless. “What do you want?” he bit out.

“Mhm.” He pretended to ponder. “I don’t know. Something warm, I’m kinda cold,” he answered, still with the cheeky smile on his face.

Cas rolled his eyes again, but walked to the kitchen and started rummaging around. Dean was being an asshole, he knew. And Cas knew too. He was perfectly capable of fixing something for himself, but whenever someone got fussy over him he tended to repay them by making them do stuff that didn’t really need to be done and that he _could_ do, but pretended not to be able to.

Unfortunately, Cas seemed to be taking the brunt of Dean’s foul mood, though, he was there most often.  Most evenings and mornings Cas was there to take care of him, and during the days when Cas was at work, Sam was usually there. It was summer, so Sam was out on break and Dean would feel bad about taking so much of Sam’s time, but he didn’t want him there anyway, so it was Sam’s fault he wasn’t out there enjoying his break like every other college kid. Dean still felt a little bad though.

And he definitely felt bad for Cas because they had just met and Cas pretty much spent all his free time taking care of Dean. Not that he didn’t love Cas’ company—mothering hen tendencies aside—no, he greatly enjoyed it, even if they just sat in front of the TV most of the time. Sometimes they made dinner and sat at the dining table and just talked all evening, and if that wasn’t nice enough, sometimes Cas brought home pie from his brother’s bakery which Dean usually ended up eating most of.  But he did feel bad knowing Cas spent all his time with Dean, even if he claimed there was nowhere else he’d rather be. Dean still didn’t believe him because, let’s face it, Dean didn’t have the greatest disposition on a good day, and now he was basically immobile, had a bunch of people telling him what to do, and he seemed to always have an itch under his cast where he couldn’t reach. It had been three weeks full of not-good days.

Cas came back into the room carrying two small bowls of microwaved spaghetti-o’s and handed one to Dean, still looking grumpy. Dean had to say, as bad as he was, Cas could hold his own against Dean, almost as well as Sam, but Sam had years of experience. He settled in next to Dean and started eating, but Dean was content to just watch Cas for a moment.

They had fallen into a very domestic routine together.  Dean greeting Cas when he got back from work every day, eating dinner together every night, curling up on the couch watching crap TV, spending Cas’ days off together, even cuddling together in bed on the nights when Cas stayed over.  Dean was unashamed to say that he was falling in love with Castiel.

Castiel glanced over at Dean when he noticed him staring and cocked an eyebrow in question.

“Nothing,” Dean said smiling, for real this time, and he started in on his dinner.

Cas looked at him a few seconds longer suspiciously, but turned his attention back to the TV.

 

* * *

 

A while later they were snuggled up together in bed, Dean on his back with an arm around Cas’ waist and Cas sprawled half on top of him, both arms circling Dean’s waist, head resting on Dean’s chest. 

“Hey, Cas?” Dean asked quietly, not sure if the other man was asleep or not.

“Yes, Dean?” Cas asked, equally as quiet.

“I’m sorry for being such an asshole,” Dean said.

“I know, Dean. Just one more week and the cast will be off.  You’ll still have to wear a boot, but at least you can drive and go back to work,” Cas said sleepily.

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to put up with so much shit from me. I know you’re only trying to help, and without you, and Sam, I probably would’ve made it worse trying to do something I shouldn’t,” Dean said.

“It’s alright, Dean. I don’t mind. I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with you because of it,” Castiel assured.

Dean was quiet for a few moments, thinking. “Hey, Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?” Cas replied, amusement lacing his voice.

“I know it’s only been three weeks and this is kinda early, but… I think… I think I love you.”

Cas went stiff and Dean was starting to regret saying that out loud because of course it was too early, even if they were soulmates. He hadn’t expected Cas to return his feelings yet, especially with the way he’s been acting the last few weeks.  But then Cas pushed himself up so that he was sitting and looking down at Dean.

“Really?” Cas asked tentatively—and maybe hopefully?—, as if afraid Dean would take the words back. He was smiling brightly and the moonlight that filtered in through the window caught the excitement in his eyes and highlighted silky strands of his hair. _He looks beautiful_ , Dean thought, staring up at him.

“Yeah,” Dean said, nodding his head, remembering that Cas had asked a question.

Before Dean knew what was happening, Cas had leaned down and was kissing him solidly on the mouth. It was kept much more chaste than some of their other kisses, but it was stronger than just a peck. It was weighted and meaningful, even if Dean couldn’t quite figure out the meaning, but he assumed it was positive feelings.

“What was that for?” Dean asked when Cas finally lifted himself up to hover over Dean.

“I love you,” Cas said bluntly.

Dean felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. “Really?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes, really,” Cas said with a chuckle.

“But– but I’ve been horrible,” Dean exclaimed.

Cas looked very confused. “What are you talking about?”

“For the past three weeks, I have been insufferable. I have been moody, rude, spiteful, annoying, and… and… just kinda a general dick,” Dean said.  Cas shouldn’t have fallen in love with that side of him, they should’ve met under better circumstances.

Cas laughed despite Dean’s protests. “Dean, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been bossy and mean and nitpicky and I haven’t let you do anything because of your leg even though you’d probably be fine. Neither of us have been on our best behavior recently.”

“Yeah, but—”

“And you know, you haven’t been like that the whole time. When we’re eating dinner or watching TV or just cuddled up like this? You forget about your leg and you’re the same Dean you probably are without the cast.”

Dean wanted to protest more, but he felt that it would be of no use. And maybe Cas had a point. He smiled, then, because Cas loved him. Cas _loved_ him. He reached up and pulled Cas into another kiss with a hand in his hair. He kept this one chaste too, but let it go a bit longer than the one before. When Cas pulled back, he asked, “Are you good, now?”

“Yeah,” with a huge grin on his face. Cas laughed at his expression and tucked himself back into Dean’s side.

“Goodnight, Dean.”

“Goodnight, Cas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> Just one chapter left and, oh, is that wedding bells I hear?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures of all the clothes and flowers are at the bottom.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_It’s going to be just fine. Everything will be fine. Nothing’s going to change, really. We live together, we’re having a party, then we’ll go back home. Just, this time, with rings._

_Yeah. It’s fine._

“Woah, Dean-o, calm down,” Gabriel said, grin evident in his voice. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“I know,” Dean snapped.

Gabriel chuckled and raised his arms in a placating manner. “Just trying to help.”

“Well, stop trying,” Dean said. He felt a little bad about snapping at Gabriel, but it really wasn’t a good time for the man’s jokes. He was going to get married in about 30 minutes and try as he might, he couldn’t quash the queasy feeling in his stomach. “What are you doing in here anyway, Gabe? Where’s Sam?”

They were in a dressing room that had been designated as Dean’s inside a church.  The wedding and reception were to be held outside where it had been beautifully decorated with yellow, white, and dark blue flowers, ribbons, and other decorations. It was a small wedding, with only close friends and family, but for Dean that was almost worse.  He was about to get married in front of all the people he cared about.

Dean had been dressed and ready for almost an hour by now and had spent most of that time pacing and trying to calm his nerves.  After he had successfully put on his tuxedo, Sam had left Dean to his own devices to do last minute preparations and make sure everything would go smoothly. Gabriel had walked in a few minutes ago to see how everything was going.

“Sam is still checking on everything.” 

“Okay, but why are you here and not with Cas?” Dean asked. Gabriel was Cas’ best man, so it would make much more sense for him to be pestering Cas and not Dean.

“Well Charlie and Gilda are with Cas right now and we all thought it best that I leave him alone because I would just stress him out more.”

Dean rolled his eyes. Gabriel still wasn’t answering the important question. “Okay, but why are you _here_?”

“Because you need someone to support you. And I was bored. And Sam is busy,” he admitted, looking at least a little contrite. Dean let out a sigh. “Hey! I’m not that bad.”

“Your own brother kicked you out,” Dean argued, though, not that he would admit it, he was kind of glad for the other man’s company. He liked Gabriel, even if he was annoying sometimes.

“Well, maybe I’m not making you feel better, but at least you forgot how nervous you were,” Gabriel said. Then his eyes widened. “Oops.”

Because yep. That just brought back all the nervous thoughts that he had forgotten about for a brief few minutes. He wasn’t even sure why he was nervous, he was just nervous. His breathing sped up as he tried to keep it under control.

“Imma just—yep,” Dean said, vaguely gesturing towards the bathroom before slipping inside and shutting and locking the door.  Everything inside the bathroom was a creamy porcelain. There was a toilet right next to the large countertop with a sink off to one side and a large mirror above it. The wall opposite the counter and toilet had a large, full length mirror and the wall opposite the door had a large window facing towards a forest and on the opposite side of the church from where the wedding was set up. Currently the shades were drawn and shut and Dean was thankful for the privacy they allowed.

He splashed some water in his face from the sink and looked up at his reflection. He looked good in his tuxedo. It was all black with a white shirt, dark grey waist coat and a richly colored dark blue tie. He hadn’t yet put the boutonniere on, but it was two delphiniums and a sprig of goldenrod.

Suddenly he heard a knock on the window. He blew it off at first, but then it came again, harder. He walked over and opened the blinds to find… Cas. Cas looking as anxious as Dean felt.

Dean instantly rolled up the blinds and opened the window, thankful it didn’t have a screen on it. “Hey, Cas. What’s up?” Dean asked with a smile. 

“Um. I don’t–um, well, I–” Castiel stammered. He looked gorgeous. His tuxedo was also black, but he had a cream-colored waistcoat and a pale-yellow tie. His hair was slicked back and his face was slightly flushed. Dean reached down to grasp his hands.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready?” Dean teased.

“I snuck out the window when Charlie and Gilda weren’t looking,” Cas said guiltily. His eyes were wide with worry and nerves and Dean laughed loudly at how adorable he looked.

“Come here,” Dean said as he reached one hand to the back of Castiel’s neck and pulled him forward into a kiss. It was a little awkward with Dean leaning out the window and being almost a foot higher up, but Cas relaxed into the kiss. When Dean pulled back, he still looked worried and nervous, but maybe a bit less than before. “I’m really nervous too.”

“Really?”

“Of course, dumbass,” Dean said, smiling tenderly.

“Good,” Castiel said, looking happy and relieved, but still anxious.

“You want a blowjob to calm you down?” Dean joked.

Cas sputtered. “ _Dean_! We don’t have for that,” he scolded.

Dean laughed at the look of shock on his face. “Calm down, I’m kidding,” Dean said between laughs.

Castiel turned slightly red as embarrassment colored his face. “Oh.”

Dean’s laughter subsided and he took in Cas’ initial response. “But if we did have time?” he asked suggestively.

Castiel bit the inside of his cheek and looked down. “I wouldn’t say no to a blowjob if we had time,” he said to the ground, setting off another round of laughter from Dean. 

Dean put a hand under Cas’ chin, forcing him to look up and he swooped down to give Cas another, much less chaste, kiss. Castiel moaned when Dean licked across his lips and he opened his mouth to let Dean in. Dean’s hand came to rest behind Castiel’s neck again with the other cupping his cheek. Castiel raised his arms between Dean’s and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer, but careful not to wrinkle either tuxedo. Their tongues moved wetly together until a loud knocking on the bathroom door interrupted them.  The pulled back as Gabriel’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“Was that Cas I heard? Is he in there with you? You’re not supposed to see each other until the ceremony!” Gabriel yelled. The doorknob rattled and Dean was glad he locked it. “Dean! Open this door right now!” he hollered, as if scolding a pet.

The pair chuckled and untangled themselves.

“I should get back, Charlie and Gilda are going to be furious with me,” Cas said.

“Yeah, well, looks like I’m gonna have deal with your brother,” Dean said, but his smile took away any of the heat his words might’ve had.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Cas.”

Castiel took a step back and was about to walk away, but paused and turned back. “Oh, and Dean?”

“Yeah?”

Castiel smiled lasciviously. He stepped closer and leaned up to Dean’s ear and whispered, “I can’t wait to take that tuxedo off of you tonight.”

Dean gulped and felt a shiver of arousal go through his body when he felt Cas’ breath brush his ear. Then, as quickly as he had come, he was gone and Dean was left to watch his retreating figure as Castiel walked back to his room.

He took a deep breath and turned to open the door for Gabriel. It had barely opened an inch before Gabriel shoved into the room and right past Dean. He looked around and his eyes caught the open window. He narrowed his eyes and walked over before sticking his head, and most of his upper body out the window. He leaned so far out that feet came off the floor about an inch.  

It provided a pretty comical sight and Dean couldn’t contain a snicker at Gabriel’s position.  Gabriel stood up and whipped around to face Dean with narrowed. Despite his large grin, Dean managed to ask innocently, “What?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed further. “You know it’s bad luck to see each other before the ceremony.” 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Dean said, putting on a very unconvincing show of being confused. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m no longer nervous.”  

 

* * *

 

 

Despite no longer being nervous, Dean remembered very little about the actual ceremony.

He remembers walking down the aisle and seeing Sam, Charlie, and Jo on his side and Gabriel, Gilda, and Balthazar on the other.  The men wore identical black tuxedos with tie color corresponding with their respective groom. Charlie and Jo wore navy blue, sleeveless dresses that were tight in the bodice and fell in thin layers to their knees and Gilda wore the same in yellow. 

He remembers exchanging rings, kissing and walking back down the aisle. 

But mostly he remembers the warmth of Castiel’s hands and the love in his eyes when they stood on the alter and listened to Joshua, Castiel’s uncle, perform the ceremony. At least, he hoped Castiel was listening because he had mostly tuned everything out and he hoped at least one of them was listening. Joshua had become ordained specially for this wedding.

He remembers the reception much better, and it had been lots of fun.  Sam’s speech was sentimental, Gabriel’s was funny, if borderline inappropriate, Balthazar made sure to tell the funny stories about Cas that Gabriel forgot, Jo, surprisingly, had everyone tearing up—including Dean, though he’d never admit it—, and Charlie and Gilda had everyone laughing again with stories of Dean and of Dean and Cas together.

Dean and Castiel got lost in each other during the first dance until the song ended and people started clapping. Cas leaned up and kissed Dean very intimately, and only a loud throat clearing from Sam reminded them that they were in public and in front of their families.

Because there was no bride, Dean had thrown one of the bridesmaid’s bouquets, but he overshot it slightly and instead of falling into the waiting hands of the ladies, it fell into the lap of a very disgruntled Bobby.  Everyone had a laugh at that.

In addition to all the other cliché wedding activities, Charlie, Jo, and Balthazar had gotten into a heavy drinking contest, and the only reason Gabriel hadn’t was because Sam hadn’t let him and the only reason Charlie _had_ was because Gilda hadn’t found out until it was too late. It ended when Charlie almost passed out while standing up—only Gilda had saved her from a nasty fall, and then she took her girlfriend home. Jo and Balthazar, who could hold their liquor much better, wanted to keep going, but Ellen and Cas had put an immediate stop to that.

Balthazar had drunkenly serenaded the couple, and was joined by Gabriel, who had somehow managed to drink a lot more than Sam had let him.

All in all, it was a pretty fantastic wedding.  Dean had, for a brief moment at the window earlier, considered jumping out, grabbing Cas, and running away to elope, but he was glad he didn’t.

Now, it was very late in the night—morning, really—and Dean and Cas were snuggled in bed, with Dean as the big spoon. Cas had made very good on his promise of relieving Dean of his suit once they were back home.  Everything except for the tie. Dean’s ass was sore and _yep, definitely gonna feel that tomorrow._

“You, have worn me out, Mr. Winchester,” Dean said into Castiel’s neck.

Cas chuckled and Dean could tell he was smiling. “Then you need to build up more stamina, Mr. Winchester,” he said and Dean smiled.

“I love you, Cas,” Dean said, laying a gently kiss onto the curve of Castiel’s neck.

Cas squeezed the hand Dean had draped over his stomach. “I love you too, Dean.”

 

* * *

 

 

Dean's Tux:

Castiel' Tux:

Sam's Tux:

Gabriel and Balthazar's Tux:

Charlie and Jo's Dress:

Gilda's Dress:

Bouquet which inspired the color theme:

[ ](http://philadelphia-wedding-flowers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/yellow-blue-and-white-bridesmaid-bouquet.jpg)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Finally done! Maybe. There may be more in the distant future if I am suddenly struck with inspiration, but this is all I had planned to do and I need to work on other things.
> 
> I spent way too much time making the tuxedos and finding a good dress for the bridesmaids that came in both the colors I wanted.
> 
> I almost, almost made Dean jump out the window to elope with Cas, much to everyone's future amusement and/or irritation, but I scratched that plan and went with the original plan.
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading all the way to the end, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> If you want to see something specific, feel free to request and I will try to write it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years after being married, Dean and Cas take the next step.

Gabriel sat on the couch, bouncing his knees nervously, fiddling with his phone without really doing anything.

"Do you think something happened? I mean, they said they'd be here by now, but they're not. What if something happened to them?" He asked worriedly.

"Gabe, they're..." Sam looked at the clock, "...five minutes late. I'm sure nothing has happened," Sam tried to assure his husband. He sat next to Gabriel on the couch and maintained a calm but excited air, though internally he was just as on edge as Gabriel.

"I know, I'm probably worried for nothing, but Cassie is always so punctual. Why would he be late now?"

"Gabriel, it's a big day. A lot of things could delay them a few minutes," Sam said comfortingly. "Nothing dangerous or life-threatening," he was quick to add at Gabriel's panicked look.

"Yeah," Gabriel sighed. He frowned and his shoulders slumped. Sam was about to say something more, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Gabriel immediately perked up and ran to the door with a smile so wide it looked painful. Sam quickly followed, excited to meet their guests.

Gabriel flung the door open and there was Dean and Cas. Only they weren't alone, each one held a small bundle of blankets in their arms, their grins almost as big as Gabriel's.

Gabriel and Sam were mesmerized by the sight before them. In the midst of Cas' purple bundle, brown eyes blinked up sleepily, short dark hair peeking out of a purple hat. In Dean's arms was a similar pink bundle with a golden-haired, blue-eyed baby within.

"How are they?" Gabriel asked quietly, a contrast to the energy and excitement pouring out of him.

"They're perfect," Castiel replied, voice full of warmth.

"Can we come in?" Dean joked, despite the fact that this was their home and snapping Sam's attention away from the babies.

"Yeah, of course, come in, come in," Sam let out in a rush, now bouncing just as much as Gabriel.

Sam and Gabriel hurried to the living room, waiting for Castiel and Dean to catch. They chuckled at their brothers' impatience. Dean shared a look with Cas before turning to address their audience. "Sam, Gabe, meet the newest members of the family."

"This," Castiel said nodding towards his bundle, “is Jane Samantha Winchester."

Sam let out a gasp. "You named her after me?" he asked, looking at Dean like he hung the moon.

"Sure did, Sammy," Dean said. "Do you wanna hold her?"

Sam nodded numbly, taking the baby from Cas' arms. It was almost comical how big he looked compared to the tiny bundle. While Sam cooed over the first baby, Castiel introduced the one Dean was holding. "And this is Mary Gabrielle Winchester."

Gabriel's jaw dropped and he floundered for a minute before he could speak. "Gabrielle? A-As in... G-Gabriel?" he stuttered out.

Castiel smiled. "Yes, as in Gabriel."

Instead of going for the baby, Gabriel flung himself at Castiel, knocking him back a few steps, wrapping him in a tight hug and burying his face in Castiel's trench coat.

Quietly, so only Castiel could hear, he whispered, "Thank you." Castiel wrapped his arms around his brother and held him close. He could feel a slight damp spot where Gabriel's eyes were, but refrained from saying anything and when he finally pulled back, Sam and Dean had the grace to pretend they didn't notice how Gabriel's eyes were slightly red and puffy, even though he sniffled loudly.

"Would you like to hold her?" Dean asked gently. Gabriel nodded silently, not ready to speak yet. Dean carefully passed Mary into Gabriel's waiting arms.

Sam and Gabriel were looking at the two girls with pure adoration, and Dean could tell they would be spoiled.

"They don't look like each other," blurted Gabriel.

“Twins don’t always look like each other, Gabriel,” Castiel said.

“I know, but when you said twins, I was picturing two identical babies.  These don’t even look alike,” Gabriel said, looking down at said babies.

“Well, we practically watched them come out. They’re definitely from the same mother,” Dean said, grimacing as he recalled the memories. Whoever said birth was a beautiful and natural act had never watched it happen.

“Speaking of which, how was the mother?” Sam asked, changing the topic.

“A little sad to see them go after it was all over, but glad they were going to a good home,” Dean said. Pamela, the women they had adopted from, said she never really wanted kids, and with all the traveling she did for work, she couldn’t take care of them as a single mother, but Dean could tell she regretted that fact just a bit. Not enough to try and keep them, but maybe enough to visit every once in a while.

“Adoption is always kinda bittersweet like that,” Sam said.

“Yeah,” Dean agreed. “Well, me and Cas are pretty tired, and I’m sure the girls are too. You guys are welcome to stay a bit longer and watch them, but me and Cas are gonna go to bed,” he said, throwing an arm around his husband’s shoulder. 

Castiel leaned into Dean’s side, using him for support. Now that the excitement had mostly worn out, the lack of sleep was catching up to them. They had gotten the call that Pamela was going into labor at one in the morning yesterday and now it was almost five in the evening. Labor had taken almost fourteen hours, which meant Dean and Cas were there with Pamela the whole way.  Then it had been another twenty-four hours before they could take they babies home. They had come back to the house during that time long enough to eat something that was decent and _not_ hospital food, grab about six hours of sleep, and change clothes before going back to the hospital where they watched their daughters sleep in the nursery or hung out with Pamela until she was discharged. “Dean’s right, it’s been a long two days.”

“I’d love to stay, but we should go home too,” Sam said. Dean had called them when he and Cas got to the hospital, and Sam and Gabriel hadn’t been able to sleep through the long delivery hours and had lived on text updates from Dean. They hadn’t slept much the previous night either from too much excitement. “We’ll give you tomorrow to yourselves and the girls, but we’ll be back on Wednesday.”

“Looking forward to it,” Castiel replied. Sam and Gabriel reluctantly passed the babies—which had fallen asleep—back and Dean and Cas put them down in the nursery before coming back to walk their brothers out. They shared finally goodbyes and promises to be back. Gabriel surprised them again by giving one last hug to Castiel and then surprised them even more by giving a hug to Dean.

Once they left, Dean and Cas walked back to the nursery and watched their daughters in silence for a while before quietly going to bed.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night curled up in bed, Gabriel whispered disbelievingly, “They named one of their children after me.” 

“Of course, they love you Gabe,” Sam murmured, rubbing soothing circles into his back.

“I know they do, but… they named one of their children after me,” he repeated.

Sam pulled Gabriel closer. “Guess we’ll have to return the favor then.”

“Of course we will,” Gabriel said, completely serious.

“Go to sleep, Gabe,” Sam whispered with a smile, pressing a kiss to Gabriel’s forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are much appreciated :)
> 
> Two things I want to add, but couldn't fit into the chapter:
> 
> 1\. The reason Gabriel was so touched by Dean and Cas naming one of the girls after him is because he and Cas' family isn't very close (except him and Cas). It's not that they don't get along or don't love each other, just a lot of siblings which means less attention per person, so they family just isn't close. Also, I think Gabriel goes through life thinking he doesn't make much of an impact on people and he always gives out more love and affection than he receives, so naming their daughter after him (even just the middle name) seems like a huge gesture to Gabriel and he never thought someone would do something like that for him. The reason it didn't impact Sam as much is because his family is pretty close, especially Dean, so using Sam as a namesake didn't seem like quite as big a deal, especially when it seems somewhat common in his family.
> 
> 2\. I don't think I'm going to do more with kids in this fic, but I like to imagine Pamela visiting two or three times a year and when Jane and Mary start learning to speak and they call her Mommy Pam, and they don't totally understand how or why, but they have two daddies and a mommy and they love them all and I just have feels about Pamela being like the favorite aunt and being a part of their life without really being a third parent, but accepted as a third parent by not only the kids, but by the rest of the Winchesters and Winchester extended family as well and being invited to Christmas every year and stuff.
> 
> I plan to write and Bobby and Ellen story as soon as inspiration strikes, and I am thinking about doing a proposal chapter for either Dean and Cas or Sam and Gabe (maybe both), but I'm not sure if I will or not.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about 6 years before the original story.

It had been a long day and Bobby was ready to sit down and have a drink. Or maybe a few.

He didn't feel like going to his normal bar and chance running into someone he knew. He wanted to be all alone with a bottle of whiskey. So he went to a bar called the Roadhouse. It was a little out of the way, but where he was unlikely to be recognized. He had been there a couple times, when he wanted to be alone, and he liked the atmosphere.

He walked in and took a seat at the end of the bar, away from all the other patrons and ordered a whisky from the young barmaid.

The anniversary of his wife’s—his soulmate’s—death was always a hard day for him.

 

* * *

 

Ellen sighed, looking out at the bar. It was late, nearly one o'clock and the only people left were a group of drunk college kids and a few scattered patrons. The bar would close in another hour, so she hoped they would all start shuffling out so she didn't have to deal with them. 

A gentleman at the far corner of the bar caught her eye. He sat with his shoulders slumped and his face was pink, probably from the empty bottle of whisky in front of him.

She sighed to herself again. He would probably need help getting home. She was about to turn her attention back to the glasses she was cleaning when the man signaled for another drink. She narrowed her eyes and decided he didn't need any more to drink.

Ellen put a hand out to stop Jo as she passed. "I'll handle him," she said.

"Sure," Jo replied.

Ellen walked to the man. "Look, if you want to drink yourself to death, go ahead, but you’re going to have to do it at home.”

“Like hell, keep ‘em coming, sweetheart,” he sneered.

Ellen raised an eyebrow. “Now look here,” she said as she crossed her arms. “It has been a long day. Going by this bottle of whiskey, I’m sure you’ve had a long day too. So why don’t you go home and give it a rest before you give yourself alcohol poisoning,” she finished in a tone that left no room for arguments.

“I come in here, I pay money, you give me alcohol. That’s how this works,” he said, slurring his words slightly.

“I supply you alcohol until I feel it is unsafe for my patrons to drink any further. _That_ is ‘how this works.’”

“I came here to drink, not to get lectured. So, give me some more whiskey and leave me the hell alone,” he said, his voice rising with his anger.

Ellen bristled and narrowed her eyes. “Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave my fine establishment. You can find another bar where your bartender cares a whole lot less about their customers,” she said in a calm, but steely voice.

“What the hell!” he grumbled loudly.  He stood up, grabbed his coat and stumbled towards the door, muttering angrily the whole way.

Ellen nodded approvingly. “Jo?”

“Yeah, mom?” Jo paused in wiping down one of the tables.

“Make sure that gentleman there gets a safe ride home.”

“Sure,” she said, walking towards the door the man had just exited through.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, during his lunch break, Bobby was standing in front of the Roadhouse, twisting his raggedy ball cap between his hands. He had spent the past five minutes in the same manner, trying to make his feet move forward. 

“You wanna come in or are you just gonna stand there all day?”

Bobby looked to his left where a girl with long blond hair stood, leaning against the side of the building, arms crossed with a knowing smirk across his face.  The previous night was a bit of a blur, but he remembered her calling him a taxi.

“I was gonna come in,” he sneered defensively. The girl scoffed. “Eventually,” he muttered.

“Well come on then, gramps,” she said, looping her arm through his and pulling him inside.

“I’m not that old,” he protested.

She brought him up to the bar and made him take a seat. She filled a glass with water and set in down in front of him. “On the house.” She winked. “So, what brings you back here?”

Bobby hesitated a few seconds, assessing the girl in front of him, who was leaning forward on her elbows across the bar looking very interested in his answer. He sighed and looked down at the water in front of him. “I came to see that woman that was here last night.”

“Oh, got yourself a crush?” she teased.

“What? No!” he exclaimed, looking around as if anyone would care that Bobby Singer might have something as juvenile a crush.  He could also feel his face flushing uncomfortably.

The girl laughed. “Oh, come on, I was just teasing. Take a joke, old man.”

“Jo, that’s enough. Quit harassing our customers,” said a lady walking out of the back room. Her back was to the rest of the bar, she was carrying a try of clean glasses, but when she turned around, her eyes landed on the pair. It was the woman from last night. “Oh, it’s you,” she said derisively, setting the tray down heavily on the counter.

“Look, I don’t mean to start something, I just…” he paused, looking away from her. “I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last night, that’s all.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds and Bobby dared to look up. The woman was looking at him through narrowed eyes with an assessing gaze. She briefly nodded her head as she came to some sort of conclusion. “I accept your apology. I appreciate it. Most men who acted like you did never woulda showed their faces again and just pretended like it never happened.”

“Well, I guess I’m not like most men,” he said with a sarcastic smile that scrunched up his eyes. “Well, ladies, it’s been a pleasure, but I must be off.” 

He started to get out of his seat when the woman called to him. “Hold on.” He turned to face her. “Why don’t you stay and have a drink?” she offered.

“I really should be getting back,” he started, gesturing towards the door.

“I’m sure you have time for one drink.”

Bobby considered it. “Well, maybe just one,” he conceded as he sat back in his chair. The woman smiled at him.

She turned around and grabbed a beer, then placed it in front of him. “Jo, get back to work.” Jo rolled her eyes, but walked through the bar flap towards one of the dirty tables to clean up. “I’m Ellen, and that’s my daughter, Jo.”

“Bobby.”

“So, Bobby, are you an alcoholic or was last night special?”

He hesitated, he didn’t usually like telling his problems to strangers. “Yesterday was the anniversary of my wife’s death. It’s been almost ten years.”

“Soulmate?” she asked gently.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, looking down at his beer.

They were silent for a few moments.

“I lost mine eight years ago next month.” Bobby looked up at that. “Sucks, doesn’t it?” she asked with a humorless chuckle.

“Yeah,” he replied with a sad grin. “But maybe it gets better.”

“Maybe,” she said, an amused smiled and a wink.

And from that day forward, the Roadhouse became Bobby’s regular bar, and four years later, he and Ellen were married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are much appreciated :)
> 
> Sorry I didn't update this sooner, I wish I had a good excuse, but mostly it's been laziness.
> 
> Just to clarify, Bobby and Ellen are not soulmates, their original canonical spouses were, but they're both widow/ers now. Mostly because I needed to fit Jo in and give Bobby a reason to be drinking, but also to show other aspects of the soulmate verse, like when your soulmate dies.
> 
> I have one more chapter planned, for Sam and Gabriel, and it's going to be angsty. I'll try to write within a week or two, but I make no promises.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you want a timeline, here it is:
> 
> Dean/Cas meet > Dean/Cas marry two years later > Dean/Cas adopt four years later
> 
> Dean/Cas meet > Sam/Gabe meet three months later > Sam/Gabe marry two years later (six months after Dean/Cas) >Sam/Gabe adopt five years later (this chapter)
> 
> Dean/Cas meet > Charlie/Gilda meet one year later
> 
> Ellen/Bobby meet > Dean/Cas meet six years later
> 
> I spent like 20 minutes trying to figure that and their ages out. I had to make a chart so I could physically see it. I figured I would share the timeline in case anyone else was confused.
> 
> Enjoy :)
> 
> P.S. This chapter is kinda angsty, so...

“Charlotte?”

“No.”

“Abigail?”

“Not quite.”

“I don’t know…Emily?”

“Well…”

“Dammit, Sam. Why am I here if you keep rejecting all of my ideas?” Dean asked exasperated.

“Dean, you know I value your input,” Sam assured. “I would just value it more if you could come up with better names.”

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

“So, any luck?” Gabriel asked, coming into the room and sitting next to Sam on the couch. Dean was seated in an arm chair across from them, a coffee table in between.  In a few months Sam and Gabriel would be adopting a baby girl, so they were in their living room, trying to come up with baby names.

“No,” Dean sighed.

“Alright, well, what about Mackenzie?” Gabriel offered.

“Already tried that one. Isabelle?”

“Lauren?”

“Lilly?”

“Nicole?”

Dean and Gabriel threw around a few more names while Sam sat silently, wondering if he should say it or not. He had been thinking it for quite a while, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “What about…Jessica?” he asked quietly.

“Jessica? I like that. _Jessica_. That’s a really good one Sam,” Gabriel continued to ramble on about the name and completely missed the silent conversation going on between Sam and Dean.

Dean was giving Sam a look that said, _Is that really a good idea?_

Sam returned it with one that said, _It was just a suggestion._

 _Have you even told him about her?_ Dean asked, both exasperated and sympathetic.

 _I was going to. Eventually,_ he replied with a guilty face.

“Hey, what’s going on?” asked Gabriel, who had finally clued in to the secret conversation.

Dean gave one last look to Sam that said, _Tell him,_ before turning to Gabriel with a forced smile. “Actually, I have to go. Cas will be home soon and I want to make him dinner, so, I’ll see you guys. Good luck with the names.” And with that, Dean got up, squeezing Sam’s shoulder as he passed, and let himself out.

“Well, geez. That wasn’t suspicious at all,” Gabriel said sarcastically. “What’s going on, Sam?”

Sam remained silent, looking down at his hands.

“Sam. Who is Jessica?” he asked.

“What?” Sam asked surprised.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid. You two got all weird after you said the name Jessica. So, who is she?”

Sam took a deep breath. “Jessica was…she was my girlfriend in college. Well, more than a girlfriend. She was my fiancée.”

Gabriel was silent a moment. “What happened?” he asked gently.

“She died,” he replied steadily.

Gabriel looked at him sympathetically. He reached over and took Sam’s hands in his. “Tell me about her.”

Sam sniffled a little and looked up at Gabriel. “You really want to know about her?” he asked.

He was surprised. Gabriel was the possessive type, so Sam expected him to get mad, to try and change the subject or something, when he heard about her. Not ask about her. But instead, he just smiled softly and said, “Everything.”

Sam squeezed Gabriel’s hands. “Well, it was junior year of college. I was 21. That’s when I met Jess. She was…she was beautiful,” he said reverently. “It wasn’t long before we were dating. At first, it wasn’t serious, just…something to do until you meet your soulmate, same way a lot of people do when they’re young,” he shrugged. “But then…I don’t know, we fell in love, and suddenly, all that stuff about soulmates just seemed like a bunch of romantic crap, you know? It wasn’t real, it was exaggerated, a way to give people hope that their lives would get better. We didn’t believe.  Me and Jess were happy and we didn’t care that we weren’t soulmates. I–I couldn’t imagine myself loving anyone as much as I loved her. So I proposed after about a year, and she accepted. And we were happy.” 

He swallowed. “But then…then, there was a fire in her dormitory. She was the only one who didn’t make it. I don’t– I don’t know what happened,” he said, letting out shuddering breaths. “They said she died from smoke inhalation. That she tried to– to grab some of her stuff, but then it was too late and there was too much fire in the hallway and she couldn’t get out on time,” he finished hoarsly. His eyes were red, so Gabriel pulled him close into a tight embrace which Sam returned. He shed silent tears into Gabriel’s shoulder for a few minutes before pulling back. Gabriel leaned back to grab a tissue and handed it over. “Thanks.”

“So, what changed your mind?”

“What?” Sam asked with a sniffle, wiping his face with the tissue.

“You said you didn’t believe in soulmates, so what changed? ‘Cause I know it wasn’t meeting me,” Gabriel said with a chuckle.

Sam smiled. “No, it wasn’t you that made me believe,” he agreed. “It was Jess’ death. I’ve just…just always felt like it was because of me, because of us. Because we were trying to go against fate.

“And then I also realized that Jessica had a soulmate out there somewhere. Someone who probably did, probably _does_ believe,” he corrected. “Someone who is probably _still_ waiting for her, not knowing that they’ll never find her. And I just– I just…” He started getting choked up again. “I’ve been so happy with you and now I know that I took that away from someone else. And, I mean,” he started, laughing humorlessly, “even if she hadn’t died, what about when she did meet her soulmate? Or when I met you? What then? Would me and Jess stay together and ruin your lives? We were so selfish. We didn’t even realize that there were four people in that relationship, not just us. And now she’s dead, and I’ve moved on and I’m happy, but there’s somebody out there who’s never gonna find their soulmate and I just feel _so_ …guilty.

“So, yeah. I figure, just let fate do its work. I won’t screw up the natural order anymore.” 

Gabriel was quiet, taking everything in, before he spoke. “You know, it’s not your fault she died.”

Sam sighed. “I know, I just…It just feels like it.”

Gabriel held Sam’s hand for a few minutes in silence before he spoke. “You know, I didn’t always believe in soulmates either.”

“You?” Sam asked, shocked. Gabriel was a closest romantic, Sam had discovered, and he couldn’t believe that there was a time when Gabriel didn’t believe.

“You don’t know everything about me,” Gabriel said defensively.

“No, I know, I just…I can’t picture a version of you that didn’t always believe in the ‘power of love,’” Sam defended.

“Yeah? Well, there was a time.”

“You gonna tell me about it?” Sam asked when Gabriel didn’t elaborate.

Gabriel let out a breath. “Her name was Kali. And oh, she was a real spitfire. Strong, smart, willful, and she didn’t take shit from anyone. Not even me,” he boasted. “This was, maybe four years before we met? Now, previously, I had believed in soulmates, but then we fell love and said, ‘fuck soulmates, we’re happy as we are.’ Now, my story doesn’t have quite the tragedy yours does, but about a year after we had been dating, a week after being engaged,” he paused for dramatic effect, “she found her soulmate. Some dickwad named Baldur.”

Gabriel looked more serious when he said the next part. “So I walked away broken-hearted when I realized, ‘hey, there is someone out there, put on this Earth and made just for me, I just need to be patient. Why suffer when I don’t have to?’ And don’t get me wrong, I am still _pissed_ at Kali for what she did—she broke up over a text message and then mailed the ring to me, _mailed it,_ can you believe that? The coward, couldn’t even do it in face-to-face like a decent human being— but,” he interrupted himself before he could rant further, “but having you, now, I understand why she did what she did,” he finished, then quickly added, “Not the text and mailing thing, but the leaving me for her soulmate thing.”

Sam smiled and held Gabriel’s hand. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, thinking about the past and everything that was revealed. “I think Jessica is a beautiful name,” Gabriel eventually said.

“What?”

“Jessica. I think we should name our daughter Jessica,” Gabriel said.

“Really?” Sam asked softly, smiling at his husband.

“Well, we’re certainly not gonna name her Kali,” he said, causing Sam to laugh.

Sam though about it. “So, Deanna or Castielle?”

“Huh?”

“Middle name. Deanna or Castielle?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are much appreciated. :)
> 
> By the way, Sam and Gabriel decided on Jessica Castielle Winchester-Novak.
> 
> This is the last chapter I have planned, so, I'm probably not done with this 'verse, but this is probably it for a while.
> 
> My [tumblr](https://konataizumi333.tumblr.com/)


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